South Dakota DPS Motorcycle Practice Test 52
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
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1. A streetcar is coming along tracks in the middle of the street as you wait to turn across them. What should you do?
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Answer A: Let the streetcar pass before you cross the tracks
Rail vehicles cannot steer around you and need a long distance to stop, so drivers yield to a streetcar or light rail train.
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2. A large truck is passing you on a two-lane road. What is the safest thing to do?
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Answer C: Keep right in your lane and ease off the gas a little
Staying in your own lane and easing off shortens the pass without forcing you onto a soft shoulder or into the truck's path.
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3. Heavy rain has left water standing on the highway. What is the main risk to a rider?
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Answer D: The tires can ride up on the water and lose contact with the road surface
At higher speeds a tire can no longer push standing water aside and starts to hydroplane, so the rider slows and eases off rather than braking or turning hard.
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4. How should space management change with a passenger aboard?
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Answer B: Allow a greater following distance and wait for larger gaps in traffic
A loaded motorcycle accelerates and stops more slowly, so it needs more room ahead and bigger gaps to merge, to pass or to cross traffic.
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5. You and the driver facing you both have stop signs at a two-way stop. You are going straight and that driver is turning left. Who has the right of way?
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Answer B: You do, and the turning driver must wait
Between two opposing drivers who both stopped, the one going straight goes first and the left-turning driver yields.
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6. What does a swerve actually consist of?
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Answer B: Two quick presses on the grips, one to go around and one to come back
A swerve is two separate countersteering inputs made back to back, so the machine leaves the original path and then returns to it.
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7. A line of short dashes set closer together than an ordinary lane line runs beside your lane where a ramp leaves the highway. What does a dotted line of that kind convey?
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Answer A: A warning that the lane is about to change function
Dotted lines give guidance or warning about a downstream change, such as a lane that becomes an exit only lane or a lane line carried across an intersection.
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8. When a railroad crossing signal gives a warning, within what distance must a South Dakota driver stop, according to state law?
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Answer A: Within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail
State law requires stopping within 50 feet but not closer than 15 feet from the nearest rail when a crossing signal gives warning.
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9. Under South Dakota law, what is a driver NOT part of a funeral procession prohibited from doing?
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Answer A: Driving between the vehicles of a moving funeral procession
A driver not part of the procession may not drive between its vehicles while they are in motion, join the procession to gain right-of-way, or pass it on a two-lane road.
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10. You are crossing a long, high bridge in a strong crosswind. Where should you expect the wind to change most suddenly?
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Answer A: At the ends of the bridge and where towers or trucks briefly block the wind
Wind is gustiest where something shelters you and then stops, such as bridge abutments, towers and large vehicles, so be ready for a push as you move in and out of the shelter.
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11. On a busy multilane highway, where is the best place to travel?
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Answer B: In a gap in the traffic, with space open on both sides
Travelling in a gap keeps escape routes open on both sides, while riding alongside other vehicles removes the room you would need to swerve.
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12. How do stimulant drugs such as amphetamines or cocaine typically affect driving?
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Answer D: They can make the driver overconfident and more willing to take risks
Stimulants create a false sense of alertness and encourage aggressive, risky driving. When they wear off, sudden fatigue can follow.
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13. A sign on a long descent points to a RUNAWAY TRUCK RAMP a mile ahead. What is that ramp for?
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Answer C: Stopping a vehicle whose brakes have failed
An escape ramp climbs into deep gravel or sand to bring a vehicle with failed brakes to a halt, so no one should stop or park in it.
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14. You are already inside an intersection when you realize you should be in the lane beside you. What should you do?
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Answer C: Stay in your lane through the intersection and change lanes afterwards
Drivers in an intersection are watching for cross traffic and turning vehicles, so an unexpected sideways move there is easily missed.
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15. Why does the speed of the right-hand lane of a freeway change so often?
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Answer B: Vehicles entering and leaving the highway all use that lane
Entrance and exit ramps feed into the right lane, so traffic there is constantly slowing to leave or speeding up to join.
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16. What does South Dakota generally require of an applicant renewing a driver license or permit?
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Answer A: An eyesight examination, unless an exception applies
State law directs the Department of Public Safety to examine an applicant's eyesight upon renewal, subject to a statutory exception for mail or electronic renewal.
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17. Which common non-prescription medicine is most likely to make a driver drowsy?
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Answer C: A cold or allergy remedy containing an antihistamine
Antihistamines in cold and allergy remedies are a leading cause of drowsiness behind the wheel, which is why the label carries a warning.
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18. You are in the acceleration lane and the gap you were aiming for is now beside you. What is the best adjustment?
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Answer A: Change your speed a little to line up with a gap, then merge smoothly
The acceleration lane is for matching both the speed and the position of a gap, and small speed adjustments are what line the two up.
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19. Which rain suit is the better choice for a rider?
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Answer A: A bright one with reflective panels, since rain cuts visibility
Drivers see less in the rain, so rain gear is exactly where bright color and reflective material pay off most.
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20. A helmet falls from the seat onto a hard floor but shows no cracks. What should the owner do?
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Answer C: Replace it or have it checked, because the liner can be crushed inside
The foam liner can be compressed with no outside sign, and crushed foam will not absorb a second impact, so a helmet that has taken a hard knock should be replaced.
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21. A sign at the start of an exit ramp shows a speed much lower than the highway limit. What does it apply to?
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Answer C: The curve of the ramp itself, once you have left the highway
The ramp speed is set by the sharpness of the ramp curve, so you slow to it inside the deceleration lane rather than out on the highway.
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22. A pedestrian with a white cane draws the cane back and steps away from the curb as you approach. What does that usually mean?
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Answer B: They are signaling you to go ahead and drive on
Pulling the cane in and stepping back from the curb is the customary way a blind pedestrian tells drivers to proceed.
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23. Your exit from a three-lane highway is about a mile ahead on the right, and you are in the left lane. What should you do?
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Answer B: Start moving right now, one lane at a time
Plan ahead and change lanes one at a time well before the exit, so you never have to cut across several lanes at the gore.
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24. Blue pavement markings are used together with white markings at
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Answer D: parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities
Blue supplements the white markings of accessible parking spaces, which is the only assignment blue has on the pavement.
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25. How many usable riding paths does a single traffic lane offer a motorcycle?
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Answer C: Three
A lane is normally treated as a left, center and right path, and the rider picks the one that gives the best visibility and the largest space cushion.